Synthesis of 1,2-diols

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Recent Literature

Effective hydrolysis of epoxides and aziridines was conducted in water at 60 or
100°C. Other types of nucleophile such as amines, sodium azide, and thiophenol
could also efficiently open epoxides and aziridines in hot water. Hot water acts
as a modest acid catalyst, reactant, and solvent in the hydrolysis reactions.
Z. Whang, Y.-T. Cui, Z.-B. Xu, J. Qu, J. Org. Chem., 2008,
73, 2270-2274.

Epoxides can be opened under neutral conditions with alcohols and thiols in the
presence of a catalytic amount of erbium(III) triflate, affording the
corresponding β-alkoxy alcohols and β-hydroxy sulfides in high yields. In water,
epoxide ring opening occurs to produce the corresponding diols in good yields.
R. Dalpozzo, M. Nardi, M. Oliverio, R. Paonessa, A. Procopio, Synthesis, 2009,
3433-3438.